Snowball fights, hot cocoa, fireplaces… Mmmmmm-mmmm. Winter is here! If suddenly your normally gorgeous hair is not looking its best, you are not alone. Winter hair issues are common.
Winter weather can be really harsh on your hair, which is why we’ve put together a shortlist of common winter hair issues and tell you how to combat them.
There is a way to get your beautiful locks back in line before springtime, and we’re sharing the secrets below.
1. Frizzies
Frizzy hair occurs because the humidity (water) in the atmosphere affects the hydrogen bonds in your hair. The humidity breaks the bonds down and alters the pH, and consequently the shape of each hair. This causes your hair to kink up a little.
In the winter, friction between your hair and your winter clothes, like that cozy scarf or sweater, may actually rough up your hair follicle, resulting in some in static electricity and flyaway hair strands.
Add this to hair with broken bonds, and POOF! Major frizzies!
How can you stop winter humidity from making hair frizzy?
One way to combat this: a good conditioner will keep your hair hydrated, fighting off the static electricity and flyaways. A deep conditioner, like our Bond Integrity Protein Hair Treatment, will help prevent erosion of your hair bonds. This conditioner helps keep these bonds strong, so humidity can’t break them down so quickly.
2. Hat Head
Hats are a must in the winter. But hats can absorb any moisture in your hair, leaving your strands dry (and dull-looking) and your style limp.
Is there a fix for hat head?
Since you’re not giving up your hats mid-winter, you need a plan. You can avoid Hat Head by using styling products that lock moisture into your hair.
Good products, like our Argan Oil Styling Cream, can help keep your hair moisturized (and reduce frizzies) while maintaining a beautiful style. It also gives your hair a healthy shine, which winter tends to dull.
Bonus tip: After you style your strands, make sure to wait until your hair cools. Do not put your hat on right after you’re done blow-drying your hair. You need to let it cool down; if your hair is still warm and moldable when you put your hat on, it will be flat and lifeless when you take it off. When you get to your destination, flip your hair upside down and give it a little fluff with your fingertips after you remove your hat. This will revive your hair, and since you waited until your style cooled, it will maintain its original shape.
3. Tight, Itching Scalp
Just like your skin, your scalp is prone to becoming dry and itchy once the cold weather hits. Unlike your skin though, you can’t slather your scalp in a rich cream and call it a day. (Please don’t try it… it’s not a good look!)
A dry scalp lacks hydration and moisture, which leads to flaking and itching.
Hydrate your scalp?
To treat a tight, itchy, flaky scalp, switch up your regular shampoo and conditioner to a more gentle formula designed for dry scalps, like our Psoriasis Shampoo + Body Wash. You don’t need to go cold-turkey and ditch your favorite shampoo until spring, but using a more gentle formula a few times a week can help combat the dryness and itching. Our Psoriasis Shampoo was specifically created for dry, sensitive skin. It’s a soothing treatment (not medicated or artificially scented) that hydrates your scalp while it cleans.
Another consideration may be to wash your hair less often in the winter. This will allow more of your natural oils to sit on your scalp so that the skin stays hydrated and protected against the blistering cold. Our CoWash Cleansing Conditioner helps with this. It’s not a shampoo, so it will not strip your hair of its natural oils. It cleans while it conditions. Swapping your regular routine for a CoWash once or twice a week will help protect your scalp in the winter weather.
4. Matted Hair
While you probably don’t admit this out loud, a lot of people struggle with matted hair in the winter. The instant you start wearing thicker collar jackets and scarves, the hair at the nape of your neck creates a rat’s nest that rivals any beaver dam ever built. It basically looks and feels like you rode a motorcycle on the highway without a helmet. Yikes!
How do you combat mat?
Keep your strands together! Braid your hair to the back or side, or put it up in a bun to keep your strands tangle-free. If you absolutely have to wear your hair down, section your hair off so the hair from your ears down stays together. Put that section in a ponytail, and leave the top section loose over the top of the ponytail. This will minimize your matting potential.
5. Straw
As with static hair, when the moisture in the air drops, your hair may become dry and brittle, and may and even feel like straw. This is especially true for curly-haired girls, since coiled hair is drier by nature. And nobody likes straw. What’s a girl to do?
There are a few easy fixes for this.
First, take a break from your hot tools. They suck the moisture out of your hair and contribute to the problem. Can’t cut them out entirely? Ok, scale them way back. Rather than everyday use, try using them only once or twice per week.
Next, add more moisture to your hair care regimen. A hydrating shampoo, conditioner, and a mask with hydrating ingredients like coconut oil or argan oil. We recommend our Argan Oil Shampoo and Conditioner, and our Coconut Oil Deep Conditioner. Using one or more of these products one or more days each week will help fight the straw effect.
Finally, sleep on a silk or satin pillowcase, or use a satin-lined cap when you go to bed. It sounds silly but these products help retain any moisture you’re putting back into your hair. You probably were not aware of this, but a cotton pillowcase can actually work against your hair as cotton absorbs moisture… even that hiding in your tresses.
You Can’t End Winter
Using any or all of these recommendations won’t make winter go away any sooner, but it will help you get through the cold months with beautiful, healthy hair that makes everyone take notice.
Who doesn’t want that?
Like What You Just Read?
In case you were wondering, the following products were mentioned in this blog post.
Moroccan Argan Oil Shampoo & Conditioner Set
CoWash Cleansing Conditioner
Deep Conditioner Hair Mask
Bond Integrity Protein Hair Treatment
